2020 NPSL season

National Premier Soccer League
Season	2020
Dates	February 22 – March 26
Matches played	16
Goals scored	56 (3.5 per match)
Biggest home win	Las Vegas Legends FC 8–0 Temecula FC (March 1)
Biggest away win	Club Xolos USA U-23 0–5 FC Golden State (February 29)
Highest scoring	Las Vegas Legends FC 8–0 Temecula FC (March 1)
	← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 108th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 18th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Miami FC, the defending league champions, left in the off-season and joined the National Independent Soccer Association and later the USL Championship.

On March 26, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[1]

Changes from 2019

Multiple changes were made to the league's conferences ahead of the season.^[2] The Northeast Region was renamed to the "East Region." The Southeast Conference was moved from the South Region to the East Region and the Midwest Region's East Conference was renamed the “Rust Belt Conference.”

A new conference, the Gulf Coast Conference, was announced on November 12, 2019.^[3] It would include new teams, mostly from the Gulf Coast Premier League, Jacksonville Armada U-23 from the Sunshine Conference, and the returning New Orleans Jesters.

Teams

Incoming teams

Team	Location	Notes
AFC Mobile	Mobile, Alabama	Joined from Gulf Coast Premier League
Austin United FC	Austin, Texas	Expansion
Carpathia FC	Sterling Heights, Michigan	Joined from United Premier Soccer League
Coyotes FC	Temple, Texas	Joined from United Premier Soccer League
FC Brownsville	Brownsville, Texas	Returned from one-year hiatus
First State FC	Wilmington, Delaware	Expansion
Fort Wayne FC	Fort Wayne, Indiana	Expansion
Las Vegas Legends FC	Las Vegas, Nevada	Expansion
LSA Athletico Lanier	Gainesville, Georgia	Joined from United Premier Soccer League
Maryland Bobcats FC	Derwood, Maryland	Joined from United Premier Soccer League
Metro Louisville FC	Louisville, Kentucky	Expansion
Milwaukee Torrent	Wauwatosa, Wisconsin	Returned from one-year hiatus
Muskegon Risers	Muskegon, Michigan	Joined from United Premier Soccer League
Nashville United	Nashville, Tennessee	Joined from Middle Tennessee Soccer Alliance
New Orleans Jesters	New Orleans, Louisiana	Returned from one-year hiatus
North Alabama SC	Huntsville, Alabama	Expansion
Project 51O	Oakland, California	Expansion
Pensacola FC	Pensacola, Florida	Joined from Gulf Coast Premier League
Port City FC	Gulfport, Mississippi	Joined from Gulf Coast Premier League
Tacoma Stars	Waller, Washington	Expansion
Tallahassee SC	Tallahassee, Florida	Joined from Gulf Coast Premier League
Valeo FC	Newton, Massachusetts	Expansion

Moved and/or rebranded teams

Team	Previous Name	Location	Previous Location	Notes
Club Xolos USA U-23	Deportivo Coras USA	Riverside, California		Rebrand
International Portland Select FC	FC Mulhouse Portland	Portland, Oregon		Rebrand
Maryland Bobcats FC	World Class Premier Elite FC	Derwood, Maryland		Rebrand
Miami Dutch Lions FC	Dutch Lions FC	Miami, Florida	Conroe, Texas	Relocation and rebrand
OSA Seattle FC	OSA FC	Seattle, Washington		Rebrand

Outgoing teams

Team	Location	Notes
AFC Ann Arbor	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Joined USL League Two
Asheville City SC	Asheville, North Carolina	Joined USL League Two
Atlanta SC	Atlanta, Georgia	Joined National Independent Soccer Association
Brooklyn Italians	Brooklyn, New York	Not listed on NPSL website
Chattanooga FC	Chattanooga, Tennessee	Joined National Independent Soccer Association
City of Angels FC	Los Angeles, California	Not listed on NPSL website
Detroit City FC	Hamtramck, Michigan	Joined National Independent Soccer Association
East Bay FC Stompers	Hayward, California	Hiatus^[4]
FC Wichita	Wichita, Kansas	Joined USL League Two
Grand Rapids FC	Grand Rapids, Michigan	Joined USL League Two
Greenville FC	Greenville, South Carolina	Hiatus^[5]
Katy 1895 FC	Katy, Texas	Not listed on NPSL website
Miami FC	Miami, Florida	Joined National Independent Soccer Association
Michigan Stars FC	Pontiac, Michigan	Joined National Independent Soccer Association
Minnesota TwinStars FC	Minnetonka, Minnesota	Not listed on NPSL website
New Jersey Copa FC	Metuchen, New Jersey	Joined USL League Two
New York Cosmos B	New York City, New York	Not listed on NPSL website
Orange County FC	Irvine, California	Not listed on NPSL website
San Ramon FC	San Ramon, California	Hiatus^[6]
Sioux Falls Thunder FC	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Not listed on NPSL website
Tyler FC	Tyler, Texas	Not listed on NPSL website

2020 teams

Midwest Region
Division	Team
Great Lakes Conference	Carpathia FC
	FC Columbus
	FC Indiana
	Fort Wayne FC
	Kalamazoo FC
	Muskegon Risers
	Toledo Villa FC
North Conference	Dakota Fusion FC
	Duluth FC
	LaCrosse Aris FC
	Med City FC
	Milwaukee Torrent
	Minneapolis City SC
Rust Belt Conference	Cleveland SC
	Erie Commodores FC
	FC Buffalo
	Pittsburgh Hotspurs
	Rochester Lancers
	Syracuse FC

East Region
Division	Team
Keystone Conference	Atlantic City FC
	Electric City Shock SC
	FC Monmouth
	FC Motown
	Hershey FC
	Philadelphia Lone Star FC
	Torch FC
	West Chester United SC
Mid-Atlantic Conference	Charlottesville Alliance FC
	FC Baltimore Christos
	FC Frederick
	First State FC
	Maryland Bobcats FC
	Northern Virginia United FC
	Virginia Beach City FC
North Atlantic Conference	Boston City FC
	Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds
	Hartford City FC
	Kingston Stockade FC
	New York Athletic Club S.C.
	Rhode Island Reds FC
	Valeo FC
Southeast Conference	Georgia Revolution FC
	Inter Nashville FC
	LSA Athletico Lanier
	Metro Louisville FC
	Nashville United
	North Alabama SC

South Region
Division	Team
Gulf Coast Conference	AFC Mobile
	Jacksonville Armada U-23
	New Orleans Jesters
	Pensacola FC
	Port City FC
	Tallahassee SC
Heartland Conference	Club Atletico Saint Louis
	Dallas City FC
	Demize NPSL
	Little Rock Rangers
	Ozark FC
	Tulsa Athletic
Lone Star Conference	Austin United FC
	Coyotes FC
	Denton Diablos FC
	FC Brownsville
	Fort Worth Vaqueros FC
	Laredo Heat SC
	Midland-Odessa Sockers FC
Sunshine Conference	Boca Raton FC
	Central Florida Panthers SC
	Miami Dutch Lions FC
	Miami United FC
	Naples United FC
	Storm FC

West Region
Division	Team
Golden Gate Conference	Academica SC
	El Farolito
	FC Davis
	Napa Valley 1839 FC
	Project 51O
	Sacramento Gold FC
	Sonoma County Sol
Northwest Conference	Crossfire Redmond
	International Portland Select FC
	OSA Seattle FC
	PDX FC
	Spokane Shadow SC
	Tacoma Stars
Southwest Conference	A.S. Los Angeles
	ASC San Diego
	Club Xolos USA U-23
	FC Arizona
	FC Golden State
	High Desert Elite FC
	Las Vegas Legends FC
	Oxnard Guerreros FC
	Temecula FC

Standings and results

Only two of the three West Region conferences had begun play prior to the season being cancelled.

West Region

Southwest Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	FC Arizona	3	2	0	1	6	3	+3	7
2	Las Vegas Legends	2	2	0	0	11	0	+11	6^[a]
3	FC Golden State	2	2	0	0	7	0	+7	6
4	Oxnard Guerreros FC	1	1	0	0	6	1	+5	3^[b]
5	ASC San Diego	3	1	2	0	3	7	−4	3
6	A.S. Los Angeles	2	1	1	0	4	3	+1	3
7	Temecula FC	3	0	2	1	2	12	−10	1
8	High Desert Elite FC	2	0	2	0	1	4	−3	0^[c]
9	Club Xolos USA U-23	2	0	2	0	1	11	−10	0

Updated to match(es) played on March 7, 2020. Source: NPSL standings
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head; 3) goal differential in head-to-head results; 4) wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) fewest losses; 7) coin toss. If three or more teams are tied on points, a mini-table involving only the tied teams is used, and teams are ranked in the mini-table on points. If two teams are tied on points in the mini-table, the two-team rules for classification apply. If three or more teams are tied on points in the mini-table, they are ranked based on 1) wins in conference competition; 2) total goal differential in conference competition; 3) fewest losses in conference competition; 4) coin toss.
Notes:

^ Las Vegas Legends and FC Golden State were tied on points and had not played one another. Las Vegas Legends won the tiebreaker on total goal differential (+11 to +7).
^ Oxnard Guerreros FC, A.S. Los Angeles, and ASC San Diego were all tied on points. Oxnard Guerreros FC won the first tiebreaker based on total goal differential (+5 to +1 to +4). ASC San Diego won the second tiebreaker based on head-to-head results versus A.S. Los Angeles.
^ High Desert Elite FC and Club Xolos USA U-23 were tied on points and had not played one another. High Desert Elite FC won the tiebreaker based on total goal differential (-3 to -10).

Golden Gate Conference

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Academica SC	2	2	0	0	5	0	+5	6
2	Project 51O	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	3^[a]
3	Napa Valley 1839 FC	2	1	1	0	2	2	0	3
4	Sacramento Gold	2	0	0	2	3	3	0	2
5	FC Davis	2	0	1	1	1	3	−2	1^[b]
6	Sonoma County Sol	2	0	1	1	2	5	−3	1
7	El Farolito	1	0	1	0	0	1	−1	0

Updated to match(es) played on March 8, 2020. Source: NPSL standings
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head; 3) goal differential in head-to-head results; 4) wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) fewest losses; 7) coin toss. If three or more teams are tied on points, a mini-table involving only the tied teams is used, and teams are ranked in the mini-table on points. If two teams are tied on points in the mini-table, the two-team rules for classification apply. If three or more teams are tied on points in the mini-table, they are ranked based on 1) wins in conference competition; 2) total goal differential in conference competition; 3) fewest losses in conference competition; 4) coin toss.
Notes:

^ Project 51O and Napa Valley 1839 FC were tied on points. Project 51O won the tiebreaker based on head-to-head results.
^ FC Davis and Sonoma County Sol FC were tied on points and never played head to head. FC Davis wins the tiebreaker based on total goal differential (-2 to -3).

Members Cup

The league intends to hold the second edition of its Members Cup tournament in autumn 2020, beginning in mid-August and concluding with the 2020 NPSL Members Cup Final in November.^[7]^[8] On July 16, the league announced a four team tournament hosted by Erie Commodores FC, and including 2019 National Semifinalist Cleveland SC, along with FC Buffalo and Pittsburgh Hotspurs.^[9] Pittsburgh won the "Rust Belt Group" on July 29 with a win over the Commodores.^[10]

In addition, the July 29 match between Buffalo and Cleveland also served as a group stage game for the 2020 NISA Independent Cup, which both teams were also taking part in alongside former NPSL member Detroit City FC in that tournament's "Great Lakes Region".^[11]

Teams

Team	City	Stadium	Founded	Head coach
Rust Belt Group
Cleveland SC	Cleveland, Ohio	Krenzler Field	2018	Lewis Dunne
Erie Commodores FC	Erie, Pennsylvania	McConnell Family Stadium	2009	Dale White
FC Buffalo	Buffalo, New York	All-High Stadium	2009	Frank Butcher
Pittsburgh Hotspurs	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	The Ellis School	2019	Tom Campbell

Location of the teams

Standings

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Pittsburgh Hotspurs (C)	2	1	1	0	5	2	+3	4
2	Cleveland SC	2	1	1	0	5	3	+2	4
3	FC Buffalo	2	1	0	1	4	5	−1	3
4	Erie Commodores FC	2	0	0	2	2	6	−4	0

Source: NPSL.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head to head (if applicable); 3) goal differential in head-to-head results (if applicable); 4) wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) fewest losses; 7) coin toss.
(C) Champions

Fixtures and results

Home \ Away	CSC	ERI	FCB	PIT
Cleveland SC	—			2–2
Erie Commodores FC		—	2–3	0–3
FC Buffalo	1–3		—
Pittsburgh Hotspurs				—

Source: NPSL.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

References

^ "A Message from Kenneth Farrell, NPSL Chairman of the Board". National Premier Soccer League. March 26, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ "NPSL Announces Conference Alignment Ahead of 2020 Season". National Premier Soccer League. January 16, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ Buhring, Lori (November 12, 2019). "New NPSL conference announced, Tallahassee SC a part of GCC". WTXL. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ Zimmerman, Douglas (January 27, 2020). "Soccer: Oakland Roots announce schedule, Olympic Club US Open Cup date set, 3 UPSL, NPSL clubs not playing in 2020". SFGate. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020. East Bay Stompers responded with the following statement: "The East Bay FC Stompers have elected to go inactive for the 2020 NPSL season. We have been in talks with multiple groups interested in purchasing the NPSL spot from our club. We also have a few other interesting offers from investors wishing to join the club and restructure. The EBFC Stompers are taking the year to evaluate our options moving forward but fully intend to return to the NPSL in 2021, at this moment."
^ "Greenville FC to take a hiatus from 2020 NPSL Play". Greenville FC. January 28, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ Staff, San Ramon FC (January 30, 2020). "Club Announcement on 2020 NPSL Season". San Ramon FC. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ Norling, Ashle (March 26, 2020). "2020 NPSL Season Cancelled". E Pluribus Loonum. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
^ Wharton, Chuck (March 30, 2020). "NPSL: First competition to fall to COVID-19". MLS Multiplex.
^ "2020 NPSL Members Cup to Begin in Erie, PA". National Premier Soccer League. July 16, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^ Krysinsky, John (July 30, 2020). "Pittsburgh Hotspurs capture NPSL's Members Cup". Pittsburgh Soccer Now. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^ Tsujimoto, Ben (July 2, 2020). "FC Buffalo to join NISA Independent Cup, unveils anti-racism jerseys". The Buffalo News. Retrieved August 13, 2020.